Spaghetti Soup for the Human Soul
by whatisthis
Summary: While on their way to the next puzzle Papyrus had prepared for them, Frisk started to feel a fever coming on. (Cover by raintalker on Tumblr)


Hot.

That's all Frisk could feel. Despite the frigid wind that blew through the seams in their sweater, they could feel nothing but a suffocating heat wrap around their head. Their nose was runny and their throat felt sore. They wanted nothing more than to lie down and go to sleep.

Eventually, that's just what they did. Finding a quiet place off the main trail, the child plopped down and laid back in the snow, a sigh of relief escaping them as the cold did wonders to their burning head. They turned to their side and nuzzled their cheek against the fluffy texture, loving the way it stung. They didn't care about the pain though. They just wanted some relief.

They weren't sure how long they've been lying there but eventually, Frisk began to shiver. They could feel the wetness of the snow seep into their sweater and cling to their skin. While it felt nice at first, it was slowly becoming painful. But Frisk found themselves too weak to sit up.

They registered the sound of crunching snow, but they felt too tired to worry about it. Instead, they simply closed their sore eyes as they listened to the crunching get louder before going silent once more.

"...SANS? IS IT CUSTOM FOR HUMANS TO LIE IN THE SNOW LIKE THAT?"

The child winced at the loudness of the voice, but kept their eyes closed. They just wanted to sleep.

Another voice perked up, followed by another series of crunching snow. "i don't know. maybe they just wanted to chill."

If they were in the right condition, Frisk would've laughed. A sound of annoyance was shortly followed.

"NEVERMIND! HUMAN! YOUR ODD CUSTOM MAY LEAVE ME STUMMPED, BUT KNOW THAT IT WILL NOT DISTRACT ME FROM CAPTURING YOU!"

Frisk didn't respond.

"HEY! IT'S VERY RUDE TO IGNORE OTHERS! NOW QUIT THIS SHENANIGANS AND COME FACE YOUR NEXT PUZZLE! I WORKED EXPERTLY WELL ON THIS ONE!"

No response.

"...kid?"

Nothing.

"...HUMAN?"

...

The two brothers exchanged looks of concern and confusion. They didn't understand why the kid laid there like a stone. Sensing that something was wrong, Sans went over to the child's side and got down on his knees. Papyrus was quick to follow, kneeling beside them as well. "SANS? IS THE HUMAN...?"

The shorter skeleton reached out and placed a hand on their cheek. Frisk immediately nuzzled against the coldness of his bones while still keeping their eyes closed. They gave a small whimper when they felt the sudden freshness leave their face.

"...i don't think the kid's feeling so good pap. they're burning up like a furnace."

Papyrus looked down at the small body with worry. He reached out to them before deciding against it, retreating his hands back towards his chest. "WHAT SHOULD WE DO? IS IT NORMAL FOR HUMAN'S TO DO THAT?"

"i don't think so." Gently patting their cheek a few times, Sans continued. "kid, can you hear me? open your eyes for a sec."

Frisk obeyed, opening their sore and feverish eyes just a crack. Sans seemed satisfied with this before looking up to his brother while taking off his jacket. "i think we should bring them home. something tells me that this isn't a healthy thing humans do." He handed the hoodie to Papyrus as he got up. "wrap them up in this. they're burning hot but they're also shivering so...i don't know. i'm gonna look for a shortcut."

Papyrus watched as his brother walked away before looking down at the small figure before him. They're eyes were closed again, and their mouth was opened a jar as wheezing sounds escaped from their lips. A moment of hesitation passed before the tall skeleton reached down and wrapped the child in the jacket, picking them up and holding them in his arms like a new born. He watched as they relaxed in his hold, resting their cheek against his chest plate. Copying his brother's actions, the younger one placed a gloved hand on their forehead, feeling the heat seep through the fabric.

"...HUMANS ARE STRANGE. I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO BE HOT AND COLD AT THE SAME TIME."

The child didn't reply.

"...FEAR NOT TINY HUMAN. SINCE YOU ARE UNABLE TO FIGHT IN YOUR CURRENT CONDITION, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE DECIDED TO POSTPONE YOUR FATED CAPTURE UNTIL YOU ARE FEELING WELL AGAIN. I'M SURE UNDYNE WOULD UNDERSTAND. SHE'S ALWAYS GOING ON ABOUT FAIR FIGHTS!"

Papyrus could have sworn he saw the ghost of a smile appear on the small one's face. This just caused him to smile back as he held them a little tighter.

Sans came back into view, walking with a new sense of urgency. "ok, i think i found one. how's the kid?" The shorter one asked as he motioned for Papyrus to come down to his level so he could look at them. The taller one complied, leaning down and showing his brother the bundle. "THEY ARE STILL HOT, BUT I HAVE ASSURED THEM THAT THEIR CAPTURE WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL THEY ARE WELL AGAIN."

Sans placed a hand on the child's forehead before looking up to his brother with a smile. "aw pap. you really are the coolest." Glancing down to Frisk again, his smile dropped slightly as he motioned for Papyrus to follow him. "come on. let's get the kid out of the cold."

* * *

Frisk has never felt so miserable in their life. They woke up with probably the worst sore throat ever, their eyes felt dry, their nose was clogged, and their head felt hot and stuffy. A small sound of distress managed to weasel its way out of their throat.

Suddenly, they felt fingers combed through their hair. The gestor was soft and reassuring, and they took notice of the differences they felt before they blacked out. They were warm and dry, and their head was resting against a soft, plush surface.

Opening their sore and blurry eyes, Frisk could barely make out a figure above them as the fingers continued to run through their hair. Clearing their throat as much as possible, the child spoke hoarsely.

"M-...mommy?"

"WHILE I DO NOT HAVE ANY MATERNAL TRAINING, I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO BE YOUR MOM!"

The loud voice brought the child back to their senses. They fully opened their eyes, waiting for the blurriness to clear out. They could finally make out the face of Papyrus' grinning down at them. They suddenly remembered where they were and who they were with.

"if you're the mom, does that make me an uncle?" A new voice chuckled as the owner came into view, holding out a glass of water. "hey kid. you ok to sit up?"

Frisk registered hands on their back and chest helping them to sit up. They realized that they were lying down on the pillow in Papyrus' lap before, and that they were wearing a much-too-large white t-shirt that fell down just below their knees. Papyrus gently lifted them by the sides before sitting them in his lap, brushing back their bangs to allow some fresh air on their sweaty forehead.

Frisk took some time to look at their new surroundings before gratefully taking the glass from Sans' hands. The liquid soothed their parched mouth as they pressed the cold glass to their face. They looked up to the short skeleton in front of them, who instantly recognized their questioning look. "you fell asleep on the way to our house. once we brought you inside, we found you some new clothes since your old ones were soaking wet."

Papyrus looked down at them with pride as he beamed, "I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF WASHING THEM FOR YOU! THEY SHOULD BE GOOD AS NEW ONCE THEY'RE DRY!"

Sans gave a grin as he put his hands in his pockets. Frisk didn't even notice that he had his hoodie back on. "you were out for a good hour or so. i gotta admit, i was getting kind of worried."

"YES TINY HUMAN! PLEASE DON'T WORRY US LIKE THAT AGAIN! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD NEVER WAKE UP!" Frisk felt arms crush them in an embrace, almost making them drop the glass in process. Sans' chuckled as he went over to sit beside the two on the couch before looking back to the child. "how ya feeling buddy?"

Papyrus let them go and placed them back in his lap. They drank the rest of the water as they winced in reply, shaking their head slowly. Sans reached out and placed a hand on their forehead again before pressing the back of his hand against their cheeks.

"still burning huh?" The skeleton sighed. They were both inexperienced with illnesses, let alone human illnesses, and Sans felt helpless in this situation.

"MAYBE A COLD CLOTH WILL HELP THEM? AND SOME SPAGHETTI SOUP!" Papyrus exclaimed as he brushed back their bangs again. Frisk gave a grimace as they thought about the possibility of spaghetti soup, but tried to cover it up with a cough. Sans noticed however, and simply stood up again as he addressed his brother. "great idea pap. you're so smart. but...i don't think spaghetti soup is really good for sick humans. maybe canned soup will be a little better?"

The younger brother seemed perplexed about this. "HMMMM...WELL, IF IT'LL MAKE THE HUMAN BETTER, I GUESS IT'LL BE OK TO FEED THEM THAT STUFF. BUT DON'T LET THIS BECOME A HABIT!" With that, Papyrus stood up and gently placed the child down on the couch, putting the pillow beside them. "SIT TIGHT TINY HUMAN! I WILL GET YOUR MIRACLE SOUP READY! NYHEH HEH HEH!"

Watching his brother spin into the kitchen, Sans gave a chuckle as he shoved his hands into his pockets again. "man...my brother's the best, ain't he?"

Frisk managed to give a weak nod as they smiled, rubbing their eyes as they leaned against the armrest of the couch. "welp, i better get you that cold cloth before you overheat or something. be back soon kid."

The human was left to their own devices as Sans left the room as well. They felt slightly dizzy, but they recalled feeling much worst when they were outside. They guessed the nap and new environment helped. Closing their eyes as they laid their head against the armrest, Frisk couldn't help but smile. These two monsters were being so nice to them, even when they were supposed to be capturing them. It made them feel happy inside, and they made a mental note to think of a way to pay the brothers back.

Sans came back with a small face towel and a bowl filled with water and ice cubes. He placed the objects on the other armrest as he walked over and lifted the child in his arms. They stirred a little, trying to get more comfortable as Sans sat back down and turned their body to face him, making them sit in his lap. "i was gone for less than two minutes. don't tell me ya fell asleep already." He teased.

Frisk rubbed their eyes again as they looked up towards the older one, giving a soft smile in return. Seeing them fully awake, the skeleton reached into the bowl and squeezed the cloth. Folding it into a small square, he began to wipe their hot face.

Frisk's smile grew at the new sensation, leaning towards the touch as it did wonders to their feverish skin. "feels good right?" The skeleton asked as he wiped down their cheeks, getting a drowsy nod in response. A sudden, mischievous smile appeared on his face and he placed the cloth into the bowl again, not bothering to squeeze it this time. He swiftly pressed it against the back of their neck. "boop!"

The human immediately woke up at the cold sensation, flinching as they did. This caused the older brother to laugh as he was rewarded with a playful scowl. "heh heh. ok ok i won't do that again."

Squeezing the excess water into the bowl, Sans continued his treatment, wiping down the child's face and neck with the cold cloth. The longer he did this, the drowsier they seemed to become. It wasn't long until they were leaning against his chest, and Sans had to manually tilt their head up so he could continue the pattern.

After a few minutes, Sans placed his hand on their forehead again. The fever was still there, but it wasn't as severe as before. If anything, their face was just slightly warm now.

Looking down at Frisk, Sans noticed that they were pretty much fast asleep while leaning against him. He debated waking them up again, but decide against it as he carefully slipped off his hoodie. Lying down on the couch with his head resting against the armrest, he draped the jacket over him and the small figure on his chest. They shifted into a more comfortable position as the skeleton placed a hand on their back.

He was about to close his eyes and drift off to sleep as well before he heard a small voice say something.

"...thank you..."

Looking down just in time to see the small smile on their face, Sans just closed his eyes as his hand rubbed soothing circles on their back. "anytime kiddo."


End file.
